Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry summed up the greatness of his point guard in one simple answer after the Suns' 104-88 thrashing of Washington on Monday night.

Steve Nash had 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in three quarters, and Marcin Gortat had 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Asked about the chemistry between his point guard and center, Gentry said, "Steve's got good chemistry with anybody. Steve has a tendency to make everybody better."

There you have it.

Nash once again is leading the NBA in assists, averaging 11 a game. He has led the league in assists five times in the past seven seasons, and this time, he's doing it at age 38.

"He's doing exactly what he's been doing his whole career, which is playing at a high level," said Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, 14 years Nash's junior. "He's a model of what a point guard is. He leads that charge.

"It's pretty remarkable that he's doing it at this age, but he works so hard that it's not all that surprising."

Since Nash was diagnosed with a degenerative back issue during his third year in the league, he consistently has upped his diet and training regimen. His teammates joke about his "perfect" eating habits. He works out two or three times a day during the offseason, and he takes only about three days off a year.

He is in such immaculate condition that the Suns' training staff has a difficult time elevating his pulse during training camp.

"He has taken care of his body, which takes a beating in pick-and-roll basketball," said Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, who played at least 81 games 12 times during his 17-year career. "People are trapping and trying to be physical with him, so it's amazing what he's doing.

"It looks like there's no end to it."

Nash has said that he wants to play until he's 40, and he's already entered rarefied air. He could join Magic Johnson and John Stockton as the only players with three straight seasons of at least 11 assists per game. That average also probably would make him the second player (Stockton) to lead the league in assists six or more seasons.

Nash was named the NBA MVP in 2005 and 2006, he's a three-time All-NBA first-teamer and an eight-time All-Star. Most of those honors have been because of what he does as an offensive catalyst, but without a ton of scorers around him this season, he's finding his shots, too.

Through Monday, he ranked seventh in the league in field-goal percentage (54.2), first among NBA guards. No point guard has shot better than 55 percent for a season since Stockton did it when he was 25 in 1987-88. Only two NBA guards (Ronnie Brewer and Josh Childress in 2007-08) have shot better than 55 percent in the past 23 seasons.

"He's an all-time great point guard who is a future Hall of Famer," said Jackson, who is No. 3 all time in assists. "If you want to be conservative, he's an all-time, top-10 point guard right now, and he's continuing to climb the charts.

"You come to expect the assist numbers from him, but he's an all-time great shooter, too. For a point guard to be shooting 55 percent, it's incredible. It's just incredible."

Warriors tonight

Who: Warriors (12-17) at Suns (14-19)

When: 6 p.m.

TV/Radio: CSNBA/1050

Of note: Phoenix has won 13 straight at home against the Warriors, dating back to March 18, 2005, and 28 of the past 31 meetings in the desert. ... The teams have split two games this season, giving the Warriors a chance to beat the Suns in a season series for the first time since 1994-95. ... In their past four meetings, Monta Ellis has averaged 13 points on 30 percent shooting against Grant Hill.

- Rusty Simmons

Passing interest

Phoenix point guard Steve Nash is leading the league with 11 assists a game. He has topped the NBA in the category five of the past seven seasons: